Users searching for specific pieces of information or knowledge may begin by accessing the World Wide Web to take advantage of the wealth of information that is available online. Typically, information on the Internet is discovered by using a search engine, for example, http://www.google.com. This requires the user to enter key words into the search engine. Search engines return a list of web pages that contain key words or Metadata descriptors abiding by conventions such as Dublin Core. Key words on their own are without context, however by entering more key words, a list of web sites may be massaged into a rough context. Some key words entered by users may return data sets that lead them away from useful information. Inexperienced or parochial users are usually unaware of culturally appropriate key words such as acronyms, abbreviations or project names. Researchers must continually inspect the contents of very large data sets returned from search engines in order to attempt to discover a datum's relevance and/or significance to their interest, enquiry or project.
Generally, most users obtain a pressing piece of information by calling telephone help lines. A typical scenario is that a user dials, connects and then responds to an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) unit to navigate through a menu until they are directed to a content manager in an appropriate area. Increasingly, they are directed to general web sites to begin their enquiry again or to specific web pages to read a script or learn about an application.
Frequently, users are bounced from operator to operator and web site to web site. This is done in a vain attempt to have users understand the limitations of products and services that are perceived by them as being useful in achieving their group's private goals and their community's social ends.
Although human operators are trained to help users in a special technical or product area, they rarely possess an understanding of their department's or agency's context in relation to organised operations or the knowledge to resolve or direct a customer's enquiry. Reciprocally, no media structure or form of education exists that could assist operators to answer, in an ordered way, the same Frequently Asked Questions from different enquirers at the one time.